


the forest dwellers

by heroiclly



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Eventual Romance, Familiars, Forests, Language of Flowers, M/M, Magic-Users, Shapeshifting, Slow Burn, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-27 11:12:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13879668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heroiclly/pseuds/heroiclly
Summary: If you take the fact that Iwaizumi was capable of holding enough magic to destroy the forest and Oikawa was the son of the strongest witch in town, it would make sense why they ended up together. But, if you ignore those facts, then a giant wolf and an almost adult, by any standard, should not have bonded.





	the forest dwellers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fexillusion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fexillusion/gifts).



> Jessica made me do this. Blame her.

 

> “You speak of the forest as if it were alive.” — a foolish man, swallowed by the forest

* * *

Tooru held out his hand and his sister narrowed her eyes. "What do you want?" She asked, leaning back in her chair. He grins. 

"A talisman." He said. "One of the Protector." His sister scoffs, a harsh sound from the back of her throat. Tooru frowned and withdrew his hand. 

"Where's my talisman of the Herald."  _At the bottom of Lake Takenoro_. Tooru cringed and sighed. "And my talisman of the Knight?"  _In some hags bag._ Tooru lowered his head, sighing again. Some movement came from in front of him and a hand laid something in front of him. He looks up and brightens. 

A large gray wolf stares back at him, yellow eyes and marking down its sides, signifying his immortality. Tooru grabs it and cradles it in his hands, staring at the wolf. His sister smiles and stands. Tooru follows suit. 

"Please be careful on your journey, Tooru." His sister said, leading him out of her caravan and towards the field her children played in. Tooru was close on her heels and smiled up at her Familiar. A large stag, with antlers that put any ordinary deer to shame. 

"Hello, Rei." The stag bowed his head and then trotted away, towards a child wandering towards the forest. Tooru followed his sister to the Forest Arch, where his mother and father met them. His mother gave him a sachel with their family crest on it and a bright smile. His father gave him his hunting knife and a proud look. The most he has ever gotten from the stoic man. 

"Oikawa-san." Tooru turned and eyed the young hunter before him. Tall and lean, with dark blue eyes and a questionable haircut. Always with that crow on his shoulder, piercing onyx eyes, as if he could see into your soul. 

"Tobio-chan," Tooru says, the nickname flowing off his tongue. The boy clenches his jaw, a faint blush decorating his cheeks. He holds out a small book. 

"My mother wanted me to give this to you." Tobio's mother, a witch that lived closer to the city, but very well versed in plants. Tooru takes it and reads the title, written in bold letters.  _ **Forest Plants**_. Simple. Tooru smiles. 

"Thank you. Make sure to tell your mother that as well." Tobio nods and turns to leave. His companion turns and caws at him. Tooru arches an eyebrow, curious as to why the animal did so. Tooru turns back to his family. His sister fussed over his clothes, telling him what to expect when he enters the forest. 

"The animals will not be kind. If it attacks, attack back." 

"With father's knife?" It earns him a smack on his head. 

"You will encounter many Familiars, but none will approach you until your own." She says, before smiling at him, her crows feet tightening. "I'm proud of you, Tooru." Tooru tilted his head, curious. She walks him to the arch and watches as he disappears into the Sacred Forest.

* * *

Tooru immediately tripped on a tree root he was very sure was not there before. He looks back and sure enough, it's not there. He has yet to hear of the actual forest tricking you. He stands and dusts his clothes off, looking into the somewhat dark forest. It would get lighter as he went, from what his sister said. 

A growl from his left broke his trance and he stared at dark eyes. The wolf appeared from the brush, growling at him and Tooru blanked on what to do. So he let his feet guide him. He ran from the wolf, breaking through brush and passing unknown animals as the predator gave chase. He had only run a few minutes, which felt like a few seconds when his body decided to cramp and he tripped. Again. 

He laid in pain, preparing to feel fangs rip him apart. He opened his eyes and twisted around. Nothing. He couldn't help the disappointment that flooded him. He sat up and looked around, curious as to where the wolf went. He looked to his left and frowned. A patch of plants, wild strawberries by the looks of it. But something was wrong. It looked sick. Tooru crawled over to the plants and leaned down, staring at the leaves. They were. 

 _Darkness Touched_ is what humans called the plants or people touched by 'dark magic'. _Silver Sick_ is what witches called them. Silver is a pure metal and magic is an impurity, defying the laws of nature. So any witch or magical plant touched by silver, will gain a black ooze and darken as the days go on. 

There wasn’t much Tooru could do, not with the Silver Sickness and no magic. A low growl broke through the forest and Tooru turned, frowning. It was dark eyes staring back at him. It was huge yellow ones, almost level with the highest branches. The wolf stepped from the clearing and Tooru found his voice. 

“I want to help them.” He said. The wolf tilts it’s head and nods, before leaning down to brush their heads together. Tooru smiles at the soft brush against his face and the borderline painful bond that ties the two together. Tooru can feel a presence at the edge of his mind, comforting, but heavy. 

Tooru lays his hand on the ground, feeling the roots of the strawberries twist under his palms, before relaxing, the sickness fading from the plant. He let out a shaky breath and stands on trembling legs. His Familiar stands next to him, head lowered and neck supporting Tooru. 

“Thank you,” Tooru says, “you helped a lot.” He grins at huff the wolf gave. 

“ _Of course I did. I’m the reason you can even use magic._ ” The voice was soft and silky in his head, but Tooru was sure that if he heard him speak from a mouth, it would be rough and hard, but all the same, soft. Tooru smiles at the sound in his mind and nods. 

"Would you like to come home with me?" Tooru asks, even though he knows the answer. The wolf nods and lowers his body, belly almost brushes the soft ground. Tooru climbs onto his back and takes a deep breath. Familiars were far larger than any ordinary creature for that very reason. To aid their Bonded in travel. The wolf- _Iwaizumi_ -stands up and shakes his head. Tooru runs his finger through thick gray fur and grabs hold of the fur. Iwaizumi growls and lunges forward and it was if the forest made way for him.

Tooru closed his eyes, letting the feeling of the wind rushing past his face and the feeling of Iwaizumi in his mind take over. 

* * *

Iwaizumi stops at the edge of the clearing and Tooru sits up, staring at the arch. Had it been a few hours ago that he walked past it? Iwaizumi shakes his head. 

" _It's been two days. Time in the forest is much slower than time outside._ " His voice is rougher than before, the Bond settling deeper. Tooru nods and urges Iwaizumi forward. The wolf steps through the arch and in a flash of deep green and turquoise, Tooru walks through with a wolf by his side. " _I'm sure they would take a normal wolf easier than a 10-foot tall one._ " Tooru laughs and nods. 

"Yes. Good thinking, Iwa-chan." Pride had swelled through our bond but it came crashing down at the nickname and the wolf growled, lips pulled back across insanely white fangs. 

" _Don't call me that!_ " Tooru smiles. 

"Don't be so mean, Iwa-chan!" Oh, if he got that reaction every time, he'd call Iwaizumi that for eternity. Iwaizumi pulls his ears back, the black triangles now laid flat on his skull. "Don't be such a baby," Tooru says. Iwaizumi huffs but perks at the yell from the end of the pathway. 

"Tooru!" It was distinctly female but unfamiliar to Tooru. Until the body encased his and squeezed his breath out of his body. 

"You were gone for so long! I was afraid you had died!" His sister cried, letting him go and holds him an arm's length away. She stares at him, before looking down at Iwaizumi. "Is this your Familiar?" Tooru nods and she smiles down at Iwaizmui. 

"Pleasure meeting you. You're in for a lot with Tooru." Tooru gasps, faking that he was hurt, but his sister laughs, loud and clear. "Oh, don't be a baby, Tooru." She says and tugs him towards the town center. Iwaizumi follows them closely until Rei comes up and leads him towards the Familiar's Barn for their own celebration. Tooru groans, but faces the town with a wide smile.


End file.
